Kill Your Heroes
by Scotia Daniel
Summary: She didn't know what to expect, but in the bed was a boy who probably was only a few years older than her but looked like an old man in a way. The boy was bald and had wrinkles on his pale face. Oxygen tubes had been inserted into his nose and she could hear the rasp of his breath as he seemed to struggle to breathe.


The wind whipped at the preteen's face, the loud cheering filled her ears and the streak of the audiences blurred by in a mass of colours before her eyes. This is what Hamato Magdalene lived for. Okay, maybe not completely, but there was something about running that she loved dearly.

Most of the girls on the track were eating her dust. Her muscles pulsed, urging her on as the race was reaching the end. She had one more girl to pass, and she would win first place.

The twelve year old girl picked up her pace, knowing the finish line wasn't too far away. And where there was a finish line coming up, there was a competitor. In a few deep breaths and strides, she could see the finish line in the distance, the last of the runners she needed to pass to win.

Maggie felt like she was gliding over the ground as she sped up to the runner. Soon, they were neck to neck, both grinning at each other and taunting each other with their eyes. Who would win?

She didn't do those kinds of things for the grand prizes. She ran because it felt good. Because there was something about pushing yourself to try to do your best that really appealed to her. Winning wasn't her top priority, and even if she didn't get any place, she wouldn't mind. She just wanted to run and race.

The finish line inched closer and closer and Maggie could hear her mother cheering her on in the crowd. She could almost imagine the big grin on her mother's face, her orange hair hugging bobbing from jumping up and down to cheer as her blue eyes scrunch up, proud of her little girl.

Maggie began to pass the other runner, a grin spreading across her face. The finish line was there, right out of her reach. She went in for the leap that would help her soar through the end of the race.

As soon as she leaped into the air, her smile was wiped from her face. a burst of pain erupted from deep within her and she roughly fell to the ground in a heap, blind from the pain that now filled her entire being.

Maggie couldn't figure out if she was screaming or not. She couldn't really hear anything other than her thoughts. She could sense that people were gathered around her, that her name was being called but she couldn't answer. He vocal chords wouldn't work and she was consumed by the intense feeling in her body. The world began to fade around her and she fell into darkness.

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

Maggie scrunched up her nose as she began to wake up. Where was she? That didn't sound or smell like the track she had been on only moments ago. She tried opening her eyes but couldn't.

Her eyelids felt like lead, her whole body numb with sleep. With much effort, she opened her eyes. Her vision blurred as she tried to focus on the scenery around her with no luck.

"Oh! She's awake!"

"Mom?"

Maggie blinked and opened her eyes again to where the sound was. Her vision began to focus and she could see the worried face of April looking down at her. Maggie's mother sighed and placed her hand comfortingly on her daughter's head.

"How are you, honey? You gave me such a scare."

Maggie blinked again and realized she wasn't back on the field or even in her room. She was in a hospital room. She gently moved her arm and realized it was attached to an IV.

Her heart monitor continued to beep and Maggie tried to sit up but fell back when dizziness washed over her. She deeply inhaled, feeling horribly weak. The pain she had felt before pulsed in her stomach area and she wanted to curl up in a ball and hold herself until the pain was gone.

"What happened?"

"You're appendix burst. You need to have it taken out to not cause any more problems."

Maggie swallowed the lump in her throat. "W-what? Surgery? Are you sure that's the only way to fix this?"

April sighed and closed her eyes. "Yes, sadly. Otherwise it could do some serious damage to your insides. You'll be going under first thing tomorrow."

"What does dad and the others have to say about it?"

"Well, you know how your father is. He isn't happy that you'll be taken care of by a doctor other than him, but it's for the best. I don't think he even knows how to handle a surgery like that."

Maggie closed her eyes and could already see her father's expression in her head. The pout he always gave whenever he couldn't fix SOMETHING for her or her family. Donatello was a perfectionist like that, and he acted as the family doctor for the most part. Check ups, minor surgeries and the like were handled by him. There wasn't anything he couldn't do, but she understood how it probably wasn't safe to have something so serious removed in the medical room set up back at their home in the country.

Maggie sighed, feeling defeated. "Okay. I'll still be able to train and run...right?" She opened one eye to look at her mother. April smiled.

"Yes, honey. You'll still be able to. But after you relax. You can practice with the rest of the family once you're healed. It shouldn't take horribly long and you can be back in the game in no time if you don't aggravated it."

Maggie couldn't help but snicker but nodded her head anyways. April smiled and glanced at the clock. She frowned and sighed, standing up. Maggie felt panic bubble in her chest.

"Where are you going?"

"I need to go home. I want to stay here with you, but they won't let me. If you need me, call me or your Aunt Karai or any of your uncles and we'll try to keep you company as much as we can. I'll be there for you when you go into surgery tomorrow so you don't feel alone. I love you, hun. Sleep well, okay?"

Maggie sadly nodded. "I love you, momma."

April smiled and kissed the top of Maggie's head. "I love you, too, my little warrior. I'll see you in the morning."

The older woman turned and left, leaving Maggie alone in her room. Maggie looked to her left and found some books beside her bed, her T-Pod and a controller to the T.V. She tried watching some shows but nothing caught her interest, and her nerves wouldn't let her read past two paragraphs at a time. The music helped but by then, it was late in the night and she couldn't sleep.

She couldn't help it. Maggie had never had surgery before. She had gotten a good beating over the years from training, but this was different. Would she be okay? Would it really hurt? What if she can't train or run or do anything like that anymore?

That thought made Maggie rip the blankets off of her and stood on the cold tile floor. The window gave her a great view of the city, a full moon hovering over the sky scrapers that penetrated the night.

Maggie took the IV stand and headed for the door. She opened it and poked her head out. The halls were deathly silent and empty, not a nurse in sight. She stepped out fully into the hallway and left her door open.

She glanced down the hallway to the left and right, choosing to go to her left. The tile was unforgivingly cold against her skin, her bare feet exposing her four toes on each foot. In this light, she could see the more green tint in her skin: her father's genetics shining through in her.

For the most part, the doors of the rooms were closed. She could hear light snoring coming from others while she couldn't with others. She headed deeper into the hallway and soon came to an open door.

Maggie hesitantly glanced in and began to continue walking when a small voice just above a whisper came from inside the room.

"Is someone there?"

The preteen froze, wondering if she should pretend to have not been there and keep going or retreat back to her room. But after thinking about it, she sighed and hesitantly walked to the door entryway.

"S-sorry if I bothered you..."

"No, it's okay. It's nice to see someone else besides the nurses."

Maggie cracked a smile. The voice was so sweet sounding. Weak, but sweet.

"You can come in if you like."

Maggie frowned. Would that be a good idea? She was sure she was already breaking some rule by being out and about that late at night. Would she be in bigger trouble if the hospital discovered her in the room with her new friend?

As though sensing her discomfort and concerns, the voice broke the silence. "You won't get into trouble. They told me it'd be nice to have some sort of friend while I'm here. Even if it's not for long."

Maggie smiled and entered the hospital room. The closer she came to the bed, the more she realized it smelt like paprika mixed with a huskier scent that she wasn't familiar with.

When she came to the bed, she nearly overlooked the figure huddled underneath all of the blankets and extra padding mixed with the sheets. Maggie didn't know what to expect, but in the bed was a boy who probably was a few years older than her but looked like an old man in a way.

The boy was bald and had wrinkles on his pale face. Oxygen tubes had been inserted into his nose and she could hear the rasp of his breath as he seemed to struggle to breathe.

From where he lay, the boy looked up at her with deep, green eyes that reminded her of her Uncle Raphael. The boy's eyes were a much richer and darker green than her uncle's, but they were still gorgeous to look at.

The boy wheezed and smiled at her. He deeply but weakly inhaled. "I would shake your hand...but I'm afraid the gesture would be too much for me. Please excuse the inconvenience. Please, take a seat. You must be tired."

Maggie eyed a plastic chair beside the bed and sat down, letting go of her IV stand. The boy turned his head so he could still see her. He looked her over, eyeing her features with curiosity rather than judgement. Maggie waited for him to talk, but nothing came.

"I'm Magdalene, but everyone calls me Maggie." she breathed.

The boy smiled weakly. "I'm Ishmael. My siblings like to call my Ishy."

Maggie giggled. "That's cute. My Uncle Raph likes to call me 'Magster.' I really like your name."

Ishmael smiled and shakily inhaled as though struggling to breathe and exhaled, his body relaxing. He looked her over and frowned. "You're afraid."

Maggie jerked a little and gazed down at her hands. "Is it obvious?" Her voice was small and almost incoherent.

"Yes." Maggie jumped, not realizing he had heard her. The blood rushed to her cheeks and suddenly her isolated hospital room seemed welcoming.

"Why are you afraid?"

Maggie thought his question over. "Well, in my family, we've been training in martial arts for generations. I love to run and there's so much I like to do and I'm afraid that, if my surgery tomorrow doesn't go well, I won't be able to do the things I love to do anymore."

The room became quiet and she wondered if Ishmael had fallen asleep. He was very still, but she could still hear his shallow breathing. It was raspy against the air, as though the breath that escaped his lungs was the equivalent to nails on a chalkboard.

"I know you're afraid...but don't be."

Maggie looked up at him in shocked surprise. "Why?"

Ishmael took a shuddered breath and sighed. "Because life is too short to worry about the things you can and cannot do. There will be times where life will throw something at you that you're not prepared for. My mother told me that God wouldn't give you an obstacle if He didn't think you couldn't handle it, that every bump in your road of life will set you back in some way, but it's never an end if you don't let it happen. Some of the greatest people in the world have had set backs. Some have lost limbs but continue to become athletes, some had failed school but ended up becoming the greatest minds the world has to offer. Your setback doesn't make you weak, Maggie. Instead, make your weakness your strength. With time and effort, you can do it, Maggie. I know you can. But most importantly..."

The boy struggled to move to get a better look at her. His eyes shined with wisdom she had never seen before in a kid his age. She lightly gasped, her mouth forming an 'o' shape.

"Never let your fear decide your fate." He wheezed. Maggie blinked, his words tickling her conscious. Ishmael shuddered and fell limp in his bed, eyes drooping. "I'm sorry to be rude, Maggie, but I need to go to sleep. It means a lot we could talk like this."

Maggie smiled and took his hand in hers. It was so thin and boney and fragile. She felt like she could easily break it if she wasn't careful. "Sure thing. I'll be sure to stop by tomorrow so we can talk more. Is that okay?"

Ishmael gave her a small smile. "Tomorrow? Probably not. But I promise we can again someday."

Maggie smiled, satisfied with his answer. She let go of his hand and stood up, taking her IV and headed for the door. She stopped and looked back at the stick figure in the bed.

"Thank you, Ishmael. I'm lucky to have a friend like you." She waited for a response, but none came. She sadly looked at the ground and left her friend to sleep.

It was easy finding her way back to her room. It felt lonely and she wished she had Ishmael to keep her company. She crawled into bed and sighed, feeling sleep tug at her eyelids. They drooped and soon she drifted off to sleep.

Maggie felt herself be gently shaken awake. Sleep slowly drifted out of her head and she yawned, carefully sitting up. She opened her eyes to be greeted by her mother's smiling face.

"Morning, sweetie. It's time. The nice nurse is going to wheel you into the waiting room and get you prepared for the surgery. Are you going to be okay?"

Maggie felt her body stiffen. Honestly, she wasn't ready. She wanted to go back to sleep and pretend it never happened. But she remembered the events of the night and Ishmael's face gazing at her with that look in his eyes as though he knew she could be strong. '_Never let your fear decide your fate.'_

The preteen smiled. "I'm not afraid, mom. I'm ready. Let's get this over with."

April's eyes grew wide with surprise, a warm and proud smile spreading on her face. She nodded and Maggie slid herself out of the bed and onto the awaiting wheelchair.

April and the nurse wheeled Maggie out and down the hall to the left. Maggie felt proud of herself. She knew she could do this, and it was all thanks to her new friend. They soon approached the familiar door to Ishmael's room and she beamed.

"Wait, please." The nurse slowed down and stopped right outside of the room. Nurses walked in and out, taking way objects and flowers. Maggie looked at them confused and looked up at her own nurse.

"Is Ishmael okay?"

The nurse gave her a sad look. She glanced at the room and back at Maggie, sadly sighing. The nurse bent down so she could be more eye level with the preteen.

"Honey...Ishumal passed away last night from his long battle with Leukemia. His body was just escorted out this morning and prepping for cremation later tonight. I'm sorry, Maggie."

Maggie stared at the nurse in shock. She looked away and down at her feet. It was hard to think that the face of such a young boy she had seen only last night was now gone forever from the world.

He had battled with a disease for so long that would take his life away at an early age while she voiced her fear of not being able to do anything after her surgery but still be able to live. Suddenly, she felt so...selfish.

But remembering the look on Ishmael's face, he understood that she didn't understand what was going on with him. Didn't know he wasn't going to survive. It wasn't fair that a kid like him had to go that way while others continued to live and breathe, ungrateful for the lives they have.

The nurse pushed Maggie to the waiting room and in no time she was lifted onto a table and prepped for her surgery. The bright lights and doctors scared her, and watching the nurse inject her IV with sedatives didn't help her nerves at all.

Maggie felt herself be pulled down into sleep that she struggled to fight, her vision blurring and slowly fading. '_Never let your fear decide your fate.'_

Ishmael's words echoed in her head and Maggie smiled, relaxing and letting the sedatives do their job in knocking her out, her fear leaving her. It was funny how she had been so scared. Now...now she was ready for what was to come. She no longer found fear in what had once been frightening to her, no longer felt anxiety that had been building up inside of her.

Maggie closed her eyes, falling deeper asleep thanks to the medication. She could see Ishmael's face grinning at her, proud that she now no longer lived life in fear. He would be so proud...she finished falling unconscious, a content smile on her lips.

'_Never let your fear decide your fate.'_


End file.
